The necessary components of science-based reading can be viewed in ?Scarborough?s Reading Rope, which is a visual model of the essent

Any form of AI will result in an automatic 0

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The necessary components of science-based reading can be viewed in  Scarborough’s Reading Rope, which is a visual model of the essential  components involved in skilled reading. The Language Comprehension side  of the rope contains smaller ropes that represent the subskills involved  in language comprehension (Lane & Kennedy, 2024). These include  background knowledge, vocabulary, language structure, verbal reading,  and literacy knowledge. The other side of the rope contains the  necessary skills involved in Word Recognition, which are phonological  awareness, decoding, and sight recognition. These strands are all woven  together to become increasing automatic in the process of skilled  reading. All of these subskills are important and should be included in a  literacy program.

As a reading interventionist, I have to determine where the lowest  deficit is in reading and provide targeted instruction for that deficit.  If a student were having difficulty with phonemic awareness and  decoding, but has strong vocabulary and language structure knowledge, I  would focus on the strands of the rope that need remediation. In the  early years of reading, it is important to focus on both word  recognition and language comprehension when considering grade level Tier  1 instruction.

An important consideration when designing a literacy program is to  ensure that instruction is evidence-based and is planned in response to  assessment data. This ensures that instruction is purposeful and meets  the unique needs of each learner. By aligning instruction with the  strands of Scarborough’s Reading Rope, educators can deliver  comprehensive literacy support that builds skilled, fluent readers.

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In my Module 1 literacy plan, I focused on creating a K–12 approach  that supports every learner through strong instruction, teacher  collaboration, family partnerships, and consistent evaluation. As a  first-grade teacher, I see balanced literacy as the heart of that plan.  It’s not about giving equal time to phonics, comprehension, and writing;  it’s about knowing when to lean more heavily on one area depending on  what my students need most. Dagen and Bean (2020) describe it perfectly  when they say balance means “adjusting components as they intersect with  individual needs or developmental levels” (p. 216).

In my classroom, that balance changes constantly. Early in the year, I  spend a lot of time on phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding  because my students are just learning to read (Foorman et al., 2016). As  they grow more confident, I shift toward fluency, comprehension, and  writing. We do shared reading, guided reading, and read-alouds every  day, but the way I approach them depends on what I see in their data and  day-to-day progress. For instance, if running records show that a group  is struggling with vocabulary, I’ll pull in more interactive  read-alouds or word-study games. For my more fluent readers, I might  introduce short text-based writing projects to help them connect reading  and writing in meaningful ways.

One of the biggest challenges in designing a balanced program is  finding the time to fit everything in without rushing the process.  Another challenge is making sure the balance stays truly responsive.  Every student moves at a different pace. Collaboration helps a lot here.  Working in PLCs and using coaching feedback keeps me grounded and  reminds me that balance isn’t static; it shifts with every new group of  learners.

At the end of the day, balanced literacy to me means meeting my first  graders where they are, celebrating their growth, and helping them see  themselves as readers and writers. It’s that flexibility and  responsiveness that keeps literacy meaningful and joyful for my  students.